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Sal said: You are correct that Brother Norris does believe that the SDA Church is right that the rest of Hebrews 4:9 is the 7th day Sabbath.
Tom said: While the SDA’s are correct about the 7th day versus Sunday, they are not correct about how to understand and embrace the NC Sabbath or the Gospel “rest” of Christ.
If there is a Sabbath for the church, and there is, it can only be on the 7th day.
Sal said: However, you may not be aware that he also believes that the SDA Church is currently observing the wrong Sabbath rest. SDAs generally observe the obsolete Old Covenant Sabbath of inactivity in accordance with the commandment (see Exodus 20:8-11).
Tom said: Correct. The SDA’s have embraced the Old Covenant Sabbath of Moses and the unbelieving Jews, not the NC Sabbath of Christ.
Sal said: Brother Norris believes in what he calls the “New Covenant Sabbath” or the “Gospel Sabbath” which is a Sabbath marked by activity such as preaching the gospel and doing good works.
Tom said: Correct again. However, the term Gospel Sabbath, is not new. It has been in used in the past for Sunday. But this cannot be correct for many reasons. Only the 7th day can be the weekly day for the genuine Sabbath of Christ.
Sal said: While I agree with and support the premise behind the “New Covenant Sabbath” I disagree with him that we must still observe the 7th day. I believe that Christians are not obligated to observe any day above another (see Romans 14:5).
Tom said; First off, the Gospel Sabbath is not to be “observed” in the same, OC manner as the SDA’s teach. There are no rules about NC Sabbath keeping, much less about not working and being forced to rest.
So there seems to be some confusion about how the NC Sabbath should be understood and observed. It is not like the OC Sabbath, which is full of rules and regulations about Sabbath keeping.
Second, Sal is a Roman Catholic. The RC’s teach that Sunday is the NC Sabbath, aka, the Lord’s Day, which they also (correctly) say is directly related to the OC Jewish Sabbath.
So by claiming there is no NC Sabbath day, (Sunday), Sal is taking a very different view of the Christian Sabbath from RC theology and the church. The RC church does NOT agree, “that Christians are not obligated to observe any day above another.” And neither do the Protestants.
Thus, Sal stands in opposition to the RC doctrine about the Lord’s Day. Even though he does agree that the church was correct to embrace Sunday.
Sal said: You state, “Thus if God never changed the day…” This statement is wrong because God did changed the day of worship. He did this by ending the Old Covenant and inspiring the early Church to worship on Sunday.
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Seventh-Day- … Sunday.htm
Our friend Sal must choose between what the RC church teaches, and what NCT teaches, and what Jesus teaches. One cannot hold all three views. So which Sal will win the debate? Is there a Sabbath for the church or not? And if so, what day is it and how is one to behave on that day?
The “all days are alike” Sal said: I believe that the Christian religion is too vital and gospel oriented to be tied down to one day. The rest that was promised under the Old Covenant Sabbath is fully realized in Christ Jesus.
Here is what a typical Sunday keeper, says:
The Holy Spirit emphasizes Sunday beginning with the Resurrection. “Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn…” (Matthew 28:1). “Now when the Sabbath was passed…” (Mark 16:1). “Now on the first day of the week…” (Luke 24:1). “On the first day of the week…” (John 20:1).
These verses supply the “no-brainer” answer to sabbatarians as to why we observe Sunday. It is to honor our Lord on the day that he rose from the dead thereby defeating Satan for us.
Easter Sunday was the greatest event in salvation history. It makes Sunday the rather obvious choice for the Church to gather together for worship and fellowship. There really was no other day for them to choose.
Since it is important for Christians to come together for worship as well as to strengthen each other in the faith the Church had to choose a particular day to meet on. “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25).
The Holy Spirit continued to emphasize Sunday by recording only Sunday as the day of Jesus’ appearances.… So it should be obvious that the Holy Spirit was emphasizing Sunday over all other days.
Christians accepted the Holy Spirit’s prompting and very early in the history of Christianity began meeting on Sunday. It was not a change of the Sabbath, but a new day of worship for a new covenant. The Sabbath became obsolete with the covenant to which it was attached as its sign. “When He said, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first one obsolete…”
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Seventh-Day- … orship.htm
Tom continued: While Sal claims to supports RC doctrine, why is he now trying to say that there is no special weekly worship day for the church? Even though he also claims that the Church was correct to embrace Sunday as a special weekly day called the Lord's Day.
The RC church has never taken such a view, but yet Sal claims to be a RC. Sal is trying to embrace two mutually exclusive views.
Here is more typical theology from those that support Sunday:
The original Sabbath is based in the seven days of Creation: God worked six days and then rested on the LAST day of the week. Whereas the Sabbath falling on the last day of the week was indicative of the Old Creation, the Christian practice of observing the Sabbath on the FIRST day of the week is in observance of God's New Creation.
Christ rose on the first day of the week and began His Sabbath rest then (cf. Hebrews 4). There were 4 changes from the Old Testament to the New, which effects the observance of a Sabbath. With the death and Resurrection of Christ, Christianity became a religion open to Gentiles as well as Jews.
1. The congregation of JEHOVAH was opened to all nations.
2. The Passover was changed to the Lord's Supper.
3. The Jewish priesthood was abolished and replaced by the one universal High Priest, Jesus Christ.
4. The Sabbath was changed from the 7th day to the first day of the week.
The Lords day is to be set aside for him. It is not a situation where we go to church (on Sunday) and get it over with so we can “enjoy” worldly pleasures for the rest of the day.
The Lord says in 1 Peter 1:15 “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation”. To be Holy means to be separate from. Our attitude and conduct towards the Lords day should be in stark contrast to the world’s attitude. Romans 12:2 tells us, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Christianity … Sunday.htm
Tom said: Those who embrace Sunday as the Christian Sabbath, also believe it to be a special day of rest, just like in the OC. So they have both the wrong day and the wrong Sabbath doctrine. And so too does anyone that embraces any of the many false Sabbath doctrines that proliferate, like a plague, in the church. Including this every day Sabbath nonsense that is double-talk and utter nonsense, which Sal seems to embrace.
Sal said: Jesus didn't honor Sunday as a day of rest because the Lord's Day was never a day of rest. It was, and is, a day of honoring the Resurrection which was the greatest day in salvation history.
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Seventh-Day- … ath-24.htm
Tom said: There is no evidence that Jesus ever honored Sunday for anything, much less as the Gospel Sabbath. This is a popular myth. Moreover, Sunday has been a day of rest for the church, starting in the post apostolic period, regardless if this is wrong or not. (It is wrong).
Sal said: The other nine commandments are restated in the New Testament as moral commands for Christians. Only the Sabbath command was left out of the New Covenant because it was a ceremonial sign not a moral command. It was the only one of the Ten that was given solely to the rebellious Israelites (see Exodus 31:12-18).
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Seventh-Day- … ath-24.htm
Tom said: It is a great myth to think that Jesus omitted the Sabbath from his teachings. While this is the mantra of the NCT crowd, it is clearly false, as a most simple reading of the Gospels will show. Jesus spends a lot of time promoting and defending his reformed, active, 7th day Sabbath in all four Gospels. Only a blind person could claim not to see these many passages, or the amazing Gospel Sabbath that Jesus teaches for the Church.
NCT Exposed As Error
http://www.atomorrow.net/fluxbb/viewtopic.php?id=953
It is apparent that the many confused views being put forth to defend tradition and attack the genuine Sabbath of Christ no longer makes sense. It is time for all to become honest with the Sabbath teachings of Christ, and thus find the Gospel.
The fact of the matter is this: there is a special weekly day for the church to meet. This point of theology, and church history, cannot be denied. So the question is this: what day is the NC Sabbath? And how is it to be understood and observed?
The Reformed Sabbath
http://www.atomorrow.net/fluxbb/viewtopic.php?id=228
Hebrews 4: 9
First off, the book of Hebrews is not the correct place to understand the doctrine of the NC Sabbath. Those that want to comprehend the Gospel Sabbath must go to Christ, - in the Gospels,- and study what he teaches about the Sabbath. His Gospel views are what the church must follow. Period.
Second, the linguistics of Heb 4: 9 supports the NC, 7th day Sabbath. Not a Sunday Sabbath or an Every Day Sabbath.
Listen to the facts:
The word "rest" in this verse is σαββατισμὸς sabbatismos - "Sabbatism," in the margin is rendered "keeping of a Sabbath."
It is a different word from σάββατον sabbaton - "the Sabbath;" and it occurs nowhere else in the New Testament, not even in the Septuagint.
It properly means "a keeping Sabbath" from σαββατίζω sabbatizō - "to keep Sabbath."
This word, not used in the New Testament, occurs frequently in the Septuagint; Exodus 16:30; Leviticus 23:32; Leviticus 26:35; 2 Chronicles 36:21; and in 3 Esdr. 1:58; 2 Macc. 6:6.
It differs from the word "Sabbath," which denotes "the time - the day;" this other word. Sabbatismos, shows "the keeping," or "observance" of it; "the festival."
http://bible.cc/hebrews/4-9.htm
This passage about “rest” may be one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted of all the scriptures. But there is no need to fear the facts. This passage supports the NC Sabbath, not the OC Sabbath of the SDA’s.
In fact, the recent Aramaic to English, and the God’s Word translation gets this passage correct, and so to the much older Douay-Rheims, RC translation, which is based on Jerome’s Latin Vulgate.
The Aramaic New Testament:
Jesus the Messiah spoke in the Galilean dialect of the Ancient Aramaic language. This is the language in which the disciples and the apostles preached the Gospel and the scribes recorded the Scriptures. The New Testament has been preserved in this sacred, scribal language since the Apostolic Age. The whole Bible was originated in this language. The translation that you will find on this website is made from the original Ancient Aramaic Scriptures directly into English, bypassing the errors of the Greek Original, the Latin Vulgate and all the Western translations made from them.
Heb 4: 9 ”So then, it remains for the people of God to keep the Sabbath.”
Aramaic Bible in Plain English (©2010)
http://aramaic-plain-english.scripturet … rews/4.htm
GOD'S WORD Translation Bible
GW's publishers believe that communicating the original meaning of the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts that comprise the Scriptures such that everyone can comprehend requires taking a completely new look at the original languages. Many modern translations, they argue, have chosen simply to follow the traditions of older accepted translations, though the traditional words and grammar may no longer mean what they once did, or are not understood.
Heb 4: 9 Therefore, a time of rest and worship exists for God's people.
GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
http://gwt.scripturetext.com/hebrews/4.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God's_Word_Translation
Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims Bible is a scrupulously faithful translation into English from the Latin Vulgate Bible, which St. Jerome (342-420) translated into Latin from the original languages. The Vulgate quickly became the Bible universally used in the Latin Rite (by far the largest rite of the Catholic Church).
Heb 4: 9 There remaineth therefore a day of rest for the people of God.
Douay-Rheims Bible
http://drb.scripturetext.com/hebrews/4.htm
http://www.marianland.com/bible20.html
All three of these translations are correct. Most others are not near as precise, and thus they open the door for those peddling false doctrines about the Sabbath. Here is more info about this point.
In regard to taking “Sabbatismos” literally, Professor Andrew T. Lincoln, on page 213 in his symposium From Sabbath To The Lord's Day states, “The use of sabbatismos elsewhere in extant Greek literature gives an indication of its more exact shade of meaning.
It is used in Plutarch, De Superstitione 3 (Moralia166A) of Sabbath observance. There are also four occurrences in post canonical literature that are independent of Hebrews 4:9. They are Justin, Dialogue with Trypho 23:3; Epiphanius, Adversus Haereses 30:2:2; Martyrium Petri et Pauli 1; Apostolic Constitutions 2:36:2.
In each of these places the term denotes the observance or celebration of the Sabbath. This usage corresponds to the Septuagint usage of the cognate verb sabbatizo (cf. Exodus 16:30; Leviticus. 23:32; 26:34; 2 Chronicles. 36:21).
Thus the writer to the Hebrews is saying that since the time of Joshua an observance of the Sabbath rest has been outstanding.
The literal translation then of Hebrews 4:9 is, “Therefore a Sabbath observance has been left behind for the people of God.”
The internal evidence of the preceding verses would also indicate that the Sabbath observance mentioned in this verse has to be the Seventh day Sabbath and not Sunday which took on the name the Lord's Day about 461AD.
In verse 8, the author of Hebrews states, “For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not afterward have spoken of another day.”
On first glance in our English translations, the word “another” might give the appearance of a different day. However, in the Greek, there are two words for “another”.
“Heteros” means “another of a different kind”, while “allos” means “another of the same kind”. The word used in Hebrews 4:8 is “allos”, indicating a Sabbath day of the same kind as referred to in Hebrews 4:5-8, that is, the seventh-day Sabbath.
In verse 7, the author of Hebrews uses the term “certain day.” The Greek word for “certain” is “tis”. It is undoubtedly referencing a specific day and not the general thought of an eternal rest.
The force of Hebrews 3:11-4:11 then must be saying that because Christians look toward the eternal rest of heaven, the type or shadow of the earthly Sabbath rest still remains or is “left behind”, literally for Christians to observe.
This is very significant in light of the greater context of the book of Hebrews which deals with the entire Aaronic priesthood and its methods of worship as found in the Old Covenant being supplanted by the Melchizedek priesthood of Jesus Christ.
As the author states in Hebrews 12:27, “And this word, Yet once more, signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things which have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain.”
http://www.the-ten-commandments.org/ten … ament.html
Sal said: Why did Paul use a different Greek word in 4:9 when “sabbaton” would have made it clear that he meant the 7th day Sabbath was to still be observed?
Tom said: The special word in Hebrews 4; 9 is only used once in the entire Bible. This word makes clear that a Sabbath keeping doctrine is being referenced. The word selected makes it impossible to think the apostle was making a reference to a spiritual rest and not an active doctrine of the Sabbath for the church.
Thus the NAS and the INT version is more accurate then the KJV because they are inserting the word Sabbath to define the rest, whereas many others leave it out. But even so, these are not as accurate as the latest translations that get it more fully correct.
σαββατισμὸς (sabbatismos) — 1 Occurrence
Hebrews 4:9 N-NMS
BIB: ἄρα ἀπολείπεται σαββατισμὸς τῷ λαῷ
NAS: there remains a Sabbath rest for the people
KJV: therefore a rest to the people
INT: Then remains a sabbath rest to the people
http://biblos.com/hebrews/4-9.htm
Many translations are not very precise, and thus “rest” in not a correct translation. It does not mean the abstinence of a Sabbath doctrine for the church, as many incorrectly assume.
“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God” (Heb. 4:9, King James Version). As we will see, this is an incorrect translation, rooted in Orthodox bias against the holy Sabbath day of God.
Because of this erroneous translation—due largely to Protestant hostility against the seventh-day Sabbath and their preference for Sunday—this verse is almost universally misinterpreted and misunderstood. In fact, the true meaning of Hebrews 4:9 is the very opposite of the false interpretation assumed and taught by many churches, ministers and theologians.
Today, mainstream “Christianity” teaches that Christians are no longer required to observe the seventh-day Sabbath. They misconstrue Hebrews 4:9 to mean that Christ has given them “rest” (or, as some say, a “release”) from commandment-keeping. This false claim feeds the premise that Jesus has “fulfilled the law” for them. As a result, people are told, the Christian has entered into a “spiritual rest” from sin, and that Jesus Himself is their “spiritual Sabbath,” because Jesus kept the Sabbath in their stead.
http://www.cbcg.org/franklin/SA/SA_sabbathrest.pdf
The rest that remains-sabbatismos (4:9)-is the rest that was left unfulfilled in the Old Testament-katapausis.[136]
But the word sabbatismos makes its own contribution to the discussion in that it clearly defines the eschatological katapausis ("rest") as God's Sabbath-like rest.
That is to say, the Sabbath rest is used to illustrate the nature of the eschatological rest.[137] This is important in that it suggests that for the author of Hebrews the theology of the Sabbath was so meaningful that he used it to interpret God's eschatological rest.[138]
The context does not support the suggestion that the Sabbath commandment had been fulfilled in the rest of salvation that Christ brought, making it unnecessary for Christians to obey it.[139]
The offer of the Sabbath-like rest in the Old Testament did not require the people to set aside the literal observance of the Sabbath commandment. The eschatological rest is like the Sabbath but does not replace it; they are not incompatible. Besides, entering God's rest in Heb 4 does not mean that the Sabbath is superseded.
In order to enter God's rest the text only requires perseverance and faithfulness, ceasing from our works, not the rejection of the Sabbath commandment.
Finally, it is important to mention that Heb 4 has absolutely nothing to say about instituting a new day of rest, e.g. Sunday.
http://biblicalresearch.gc.adventist.or … ic2002.htm
See also:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/7818023/The-S … Bacchiochi
Heb 4: 9 in no way helps those that want to remove the Sabbath. In fact, it helps those that promote the Sabbath. It reinforces the Gospel Sabbath of Christ.
Sal said: The Christian’s Sabbath-rest is two-fold. One rest is here on earth in this life. It is the “rest” we experience in Christ when we come to him. Once we accept him a peace comes over our souls.
The second rest is the ultimate Sabbath-rest that awaits all believers in heaven. “Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, ‘Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’
Tom said: Jesus did not teach a Sabbath Rest, nor did he claim to be the Sabbath. While Jesus gives the believer spiritual rest 24/7, he does not teach that the 7th day is a day of rest as the SDA’s, and others claim.
In fact, Jesus was very active on the Sabbath, even to the point of breaking the Law of Moses. But he did this on purpose in order to explain the NC Sabbath, which was about doing good works and not resting.
To underscore this point, Jesus rarely uses the word rest, and when he does, it is not in context of either the OC or NC Sabbath. He gives rest to all, not through the law of the Sabbath, but through God’s mercy. Thus the NC Sabbath is no longer associated with rest, but activity and good works, which is why Jesus gives an EXEMPTION to his followers from the rules against work on the 7th day.
Matt. 11:28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
Matt. 12:5 “Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent?
Matt. 12:6 “But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here.
Matt. 12:7 “But if you had known what this means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.
Matt. 12:8 “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Sal said: We Christians must see past the 7th day shadow in order to fully embrace the substance that is Christ.
Tom said: Jesus taught much about the Sabbath. But he never claimed he was either the fulfillment of it, or its shadow, or its rest. Those who follow Christ must understand his Sabbath teaching and follow it.
Those who follow another Sabbath from what Christ has taught, are following a false Christ and a worthless Gospel. So it is important to get this right.
Sal said: if Paul wanted to teach that the 7th day Sabbath was still binding on Christians why didn’t he ever mention it in any of his many writings?
Tom said: First off, the Sabbath is “mentioned” many times in the NT, especially in the Gospels where Christ defined, defended and promoted a reformed, active, 7th day Sabbath.
Moreover, Christians are to follow Christ, not Paul. Christ is the author of the Gospel Sabbath, not Paul. So we must first go find the Gospel Sabbath from Christ. Then all can see that Paul agrees.
Furthermore, the book of Acts shows that Paul preached to the whole town on the Sabbath, even as he instructed those in the church not to let their view of the Sabbath be called into question by the Judaizers. (Colossians 2; 16).
The Sabbath is also mentioned in Hebrews 4:9, even as it is referenced as the Lord’s Day by the apostle John in Revelation. (Which means that the entire book of Revelation, was given to the church on the Sabbath. An eschatological connection that should not be overlooked.)
The problem is not a lack of Sabbath references, but a lack of systematic study of these passages. The NCT crowd essentially ignores what Jesus teaches about the Sabbath so they can run to Paul and use his words, out of context, to remove the Sabbath and defend their view that all days are the same. Colossians and Hebrews 4:9 are two of their favorites.
Col. 2:16 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day —
Col. 2:17 things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
Many claim this passage removes the Sabbath doctrine from the church, but Paul says no such thing. Rather, he endorses the Reformed Sabbath of Christ by telling the Christians not to allow anyone, (meaning the Judaizers) to judge or condemn their Sabbath keeping. So why do people pretend Paul is removing the Sabbath when it is clear that he is defending some type of Sabbath doctrine?
Moreover, in the same letter, he also instructs the church to set their minds on the teachings of Christ, which is compatible with his defense of the Sabbath.
Col. 3:2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
Col. 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Col. 3:17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
While Paul instructs the believers not to allow outsiders to judge their Sabbath views, or to push them into following the Old Covenant schoolmaster Sabbath of the Judaizers, he does not go into any doctrinal detail. So what doctrine of the Sabbath does he have in mind?
Answer: verse 16. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you…
The Sabbath that Paul defends in Colossians is the Gospel Sabbath of the Word of Christ. THIS is what must be taught and observed in the church. THIS is what Paul is defending in Colossians. The Sabbath of Christ, as taught by Christ and hated by the Jews.
Sal said: If keeping the Sabbath is so important why didn’t Paul ever list Sabbath-breaking as a sin?
Tom said: While OC Sabbath breaking makes sense in the OT, not so for the NC doctrine.
In the OC, it was a sin to gather sticks for a fire, much less to light the fire and cook food, travel, etc. The OC Sabbath had so many rules and regulations that sin was all around this doctrine, even as some were given capital punishment for Sabbath breaking.
But the NC of mercy is not like the OC of law. While it was a great sin to work on the OC Sabbath, it is no sin to work on the NC Sabbath. Thus there can be no “Sabbath breaking” as defined in the OT.
John 5:15 The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
John 5:16 For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath.
John 5:17 But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”
John 5:18 For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.
John 5:19 Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.
NC Sabbath breaking
However, there is a way to break the Sabbath in the NC. But it is not by working on the 7th day, but by following the Judaizers and trying to obey the law of the 4th commandment. Those, like the SDA’s, who avoid working on either the 7th day of the week, thinking it sinful and that this is what Jesus teaches, do not understand the Gospel.
Those that embrace the Sabbath like the enemies of Christ, claiming that it is a sin to work on the Sabbath, are breaking the Sabbath and repudiating the Gospel. They are Judaizers, just like their forefathers from the Circumcision Party. They have fallen from grace.
Gal. 2:14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?
Gal. 2:15 “We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles;
Gal. 2:16 nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.
Gal. 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.
Gal. 3:24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
Gal. 3:25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
Gal. 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.
The Gospel Sabbath of Christ is based on faith in Christ and his teachings, not on law keeping. There are no rules to break, as Christ has given a priestly exemption from the prohibition of not working on the 7th day. The NC Sabbath represents freedom from the law, and underscores the fact that Christ is greater than the law, even the Lord of the active, Gospel Sabbath.
Today, anyone that embraces a false Sunday or 7th day Sabbath, is a “Sabbath breaker.” However, those Christians that embrace the teachings of Christ, and work or play on the 7th day, are innocent and guiltless. No doubt a point of contention with the religious elites of our day, if they knew such a doctrine existed.
How ironic that those who work the hardest not to break the Sabbath, are the greatest of Sabbath Breakers. They don’t understand the Gospel or the Gospel Sabbath. They don’t understand the law or its subordination to Christ.
Sal said: Would a sabbatarian write a sin list and leave out Sabbath-breaking?
Tom said: Most all Sabbatarians are legalists that misunderstand the Gospel. So yes, this explains why they think there must be a sin in the NC called Sabbath breaking. The fact it is missing is a big clue that the OC Sabbath is also missing from the NC.
But the Sabbatarians do not understand this point. They think their duty is to follow the Law, and thus the SDA’s have become great legalists, card-carrying members of the Judaizers. They have embraced the OC Sabbath of the Pharisees, even as they are clueless to the genuine, Gospel Sabbath that is so clearly articulated in all four Gospels.
While the SDA’s claim to have the “truth” about the Sabbath, it is obvious that they have embraced a false Sabbath to go along with their false Christ and worthless Gospel. Although they do have the right day, (so too did the Jews), the NC doctrine of the Sabbath is more complex and meaningful then they understand.
Today, every church in Laodicea is wrong about the Sabbath! Why? Because they are also wrong about the Gospel, blind to the teachings of Christ. And they don’t seem to care. Religion is big business, and so long as the money keeps coming in, there is little, if any, concern about Gospel truth.
Sal said: In his writings Paul taught the Gentiles many things, why didn’t he teach them how to keep the 7th day Sabbath?
Tom said: While there are legions of rules, regulations, and even a death penalty associated with the OC Sabbath, not so with the NC version. There is not a lot to teach about the NC Sabbath, except what Christ, the Lord of the Sabbath, teaches in all four Gospels. This is the basis for the NC Sabbath for the church.
As for Paul, he follows Christ, so he must support the NC Sabbath of Christ, and so he does, even as he preaches that Christ will free them “from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.” (Meaning the OC Sabbath, circumcision, etc).
But few understand this fact, because they are looking for the OC Sabbath. Failing to find it, some assume there is no Sabbath for the church, which is a wrong conclusion.
Acts 13:38 “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,
Acts 13:39 and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.
Acts 13:40 “Therefore take heed, so that the thing spoken of in the Prophets may not come upon you:
Acts 13:41 ‘BEHOLD, YOU SCOFFERS, AND MARVEL, AND PERISH;
FOR I AM ACCOMPLISHING A WORK IN YOUR DAYS,
A WORK WHICH YOU WILL NEVER BELIEVE, THOUGH SOMEONE SHOULD DESCRIBE IT TO YOU.’”
Acts 13:42 As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people kept begging that these things might be spoken to them the next Sabbath.
Paul was not shy or embarrassed about the Gospel or the Sabbath. Which is why the book of Acts shows that he purposely preached the Gospel to the Gentiles on the 7th day Sabbath. The very fact that he did this is important, and so too the fact that he sent them back to their homes, on the Sabbath, without any prohibitions against work, play, or travel. This would be very wrong if he was promoting the OC Sabbath of Moses, but he is not. He is teaching the active and free NC Sabbath of Christ.
Acts 13:43 Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God.
Acts 13:44 The next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord.
Acts 13:45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming.
Acts 13:46 Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.
Thus Paul is not teaching the OC schoolmaster Sabbath, but the Gospel Sabbath of Christ, where all are free to work and travel on the 7th day. Such an understanding is not apparent to those who have no idea that such a NC Sabbath doctrine existed in the apostolic church.
Acts 13:48 When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.
Acts 13:49 And the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region.
So Paul actively embraced and promoted the NC Sabbath that was based on “the word of the Lord.” While most of the Jews refused the Gospel and were angered by this lawless view of the Sabbath, the Gentiles, who were not invested in the Tradition of Moses, rejoiced the Gospel of Christ, which included the Sabbath of Christ.
Conclusion
The four Gospels contain Jesus definition, explanation, and defense of the New Covenant Sabbath. One must first correctly understand the Gospel Sabbath, as taught by Christ, before they try to claim mastery over this controversial doctrine.
Those who ignore what Jesus teaches about the Sabbath so that they can run to Paul to defend their confused and incorrect views, pitting Jesus against Paul, are playing a fools game.
Moreover, when looking at Paul, great care must be taken to be honest with the context and the translation, including the passages in Acts, Colossians, and Hebrews.
Apologetics is the enemy of honest hermeneutics. When it comes to the Sabbath, there has been much confusion and dishonestly.
The SDA’s have been horribly dishonest about the Sabbath and the Gospel, and their present demise is a result of their shameful handling of the Word, as well as their own history. Few understand that the 1888 debates, which led to the destruction of the SDA Battle Creek Empire, were all about the Sabbath doctrine. The leaders had embraced the OC schoolmaster view of the Sabbath, while others were trying to correct this error with the Gospel. The schoolmaster Sabbath defeated the Gospel Sabbath, and the SDA’s have been promoting a false Gospel and a false Sabbath ever since. Pitiful.
It is time for every church and denomination, especially the SDA’s, to stop their double-talk about the Gospel and the Sabbath and repent. This is what Christ is saying to the Laodicean Church, but the SDA’s don’t seem to care. They are very much like the 1st century Jews.
At the end of time, a portion of the church will repent and return to Christ. When this happens, the remnant church will also embrace the 7th day Gospel Sabbath, as well as everything else that Christ teaches. Thus it will be easy to see who is following the Gospel teachings of Christ and who is not.
Mark 4:23 “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Tom Norris for Gospel Reform in the Adventist Community
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